Ohara Museum of Art

Ohara Museum of Art (おおはらびじゅつかん), located in Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, is Japan’s first private museum dedicated to Western art. Operated by the public interest incorporated foundation Ohara Museum of Art, the museum is situated in the heart of the Kurashiki Bikan Historical Quarter, where its neoclassical architecture blends harmoniously with the surrounding white-walled townhouses, making it one of Kurashiki’s most iconic cultural landmarks.

The museum was founded in 1930 by local industrialist Magosaburō Ohara to honor the Western-style painter Torajirō Kojima, who traveled to Europe to collect artworks. His acquisitions helped introduce Impressionist to modern European painting to Japan, establishing the Ohara Museum as a vital bridge between European and Japanese art. The collection includes works by Monet, Renoir, El Greco, and other masters, as well as significant modern and contemporary Japanese art and pieces related to the Mingei (folk craft) movement.

The museum complex consists of the Main Gallery, Annex, Crafts Gallery, and Torajirō Kojima Memorial Hall. Notably, the Annex building was selected by DOCOMOMO JAPAN in 2003 as one of the Important Works of Modern Architecture in Japan.

The Ohara Museum is a member of the Japanese Association of Museums, part of the Okayama Prefecture Museum Council, and officially registered under the Museum Act with the Okayama Prefectural Board of Education. In 2022, it received the 3rd Japan Museum Association Award, recognizing its long-standing contributions to art promotion and cultural education.